Thank Canada for cool summer, lower energy bills

While you can blame Canada for the arctic blast in the winter we suffered, you can thank our neighbor to the North for one of the mildest summers in recent memory.

Thanks to a regular blast of Canadian air, temperatures in the Cincinnati region have only reached above 90 degrees for three days this year, the first time that's happened since 2009, according to National Weather Service.

"I can tell you what we're looking at is some persistent northwesterly flow from a lot of weather systems out of Canada," said meteorologist Allan Randell with the National Weather Service. "Sometimes you get in these patterns that persist for quite some time."

While it might not make for ideal swimming weather, the milder summer has meant crowded parks, cleaner air, lower energy bills and even more turtles nesting.

Farmers like Allan Seiter have loved it. While Seiter said he could have used a bit more rain in July for his soybeans, corn and hay he grows on his southern Campbell County, he expects a good crop. The hellish summer of 2012, when there were 40 days above 90 degrees still remained fresh in Seiter's mind.

"That was pretty bad," Seiter said. "It is hard to go out to work when the crops are going backwards and the pastures are drying up. I'm enjoying this summer, that's for sure."

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Girls jump into the pool during the Joyful Hearts camp at Camp Joy, in Clarksville in June. The Joyful Hearts camp is offered through the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center for kids and teens with heart disease.(Photo: The Enquirer/ Amanda Rossmann)

Breathe easy: No smog alerts

Those who work outside might have found it easier to breathe this summer. For the first time in at least 20 years, the Cincinnati region has had back-to-back summers without issuing a smog alert when ozone levels become particularly high, officials with the Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency said.

That's because the cool air, rain and wind has kept smog from settling in the river valley, said Bradley Miller, assistant director of the agency. The agency hasn't issued a smog alert since Aug. 30, 2012. In fact, only six times since then, two in 2013 and four this summer, have smog levels in Hamilton, Clermont Butler and Warren counties been above the eight-hour standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency. In 2012, smog exceeded EPA recommended levels 54 times in the region.

"It is pretty rare," Miller said of the lack of smog in the region. "I don't think we've ever had two summers like that. The better the air quality is, the better it is for everyone."

Duke Energy expects energy consumption will likely be a lot lower than most summers. Energy consumption in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky in June remained the same as in 2013, said Sally Thelen, spokeswoman for Duke Energy. They do not have figures for July or August yet, she said.

"I think if you ask me this question in a month, I'll have a drastically different answer because of the bizareness of July and August," Thelen said.

Cooling a house was easier in July and August, with temperatures in July averaging 71.6 degrees, well under the normal 75.9 degrees.

The average so far in August has been 72.8 degrees, under the month-to-date average of 76 degrees.

'Grass is greener than usual'

More people have flocked to Hamilton County Parks this summer, said Kim Whitton, spokesperson for Hamiltion County Parks. Vehicle traffic based on the number of park passes is up year-to-date by two percent and picnic shelter reservation revenue is up four percent, she said. Naturalists have also noticed wildlife being more active, including more slider turtles nesting in parks, she said.

"The grass is greener than usual for August," Whitton said. "We're getting comments from park guests noting how nice the grass looks. Especially with the golf courses, the turf is doing really well because of the non-stifling heat."

About the only thing not doing as well in the cool summer are some community pools.

The 34,000 swimmers this summer that visited the Florence Family Aquatic Center was the lowest in the five years Trevor Davis has managed the aquatic center. Most summers, the aquatic center gets more than 1,000 people on hot days, Davis said. This summer that only happened once when 1,300 people came to the aquatic center on opening day in May.

Meteorologists expect the mild weather to follow us into winter. An El Nino, which is a warm band of Pacific Ocean temperatures, is developing and could bring warmer temperatures throughout the winter, Randell said.

"Being in the Ohio Valley, there is an influence of El Nino," Randell said. "It depends on how strong it is. If it is a strong El Nino, it would have more of a correlation with milder weather."